Climber Evaluation

During the evaluation, Dr. Jared Vagy DPT will assess your mobility, muscle strength, movement and climbing technique to give you a personal blueprint of your body, identifying all asymmetries and imbalances. He will compile the information into a program of corrective exercises and movement retraining. This physical therapy assessment will help you rehabilitate and prevent injury so that you can climb harder without getting hurt.

Doctor Vagy has an extremely high workload. It is for this reason that he accepts a limited number of private therapy clients each month. To inquire about rates and availability please contact: Jared@theclimbingdoctor.com

Professional Climber Testimonials

The Climbing Doctor has worked with many of the top professional climbers in the world. Their feedback has been instrumental in developing the highest quality injury prevention, rehabilitation and performance training system.

Sasha Digiulian – World Champion Climber

The evaluation detailed the fine specifics of my climbing technique and related it to my strengths and weaknesses. It was really useful. I can totally feel what Dr. Vagy says about how my muscles have imbalances. So seeing that and thinking how I can apply the information to my own climbing was key. The evaluation gives awareness to what you are doing right and wrong and will help you seek gains in your own performance.

Hazel Findlay: First British Woman to Climb a Trad Route at E9

Working with Dr. Vagy has been really beneficial for my shoulder! The remote consultation is extremely helpful in understanding the nature of your injury and learning exactly how to fix it. It’s perfect for people who travel because it doesn’t require continuous visits to the Physio and gives you a targeted plan of exercises which can be done anywhere. It is very scientific. For every exercise you’re guided through the mechanisms of the body so you not only know what to do but also understand how the exercise is helping you.

Mayan Gobat-Smith: Women’s Speed Record on The Nose

The remote consultation would be a huge benefit to climbers to learn to use your body more efficiently. Gaining strength in a more balanced way to promote long-term health and help prevent injury. The videos made the remote consultation very interactive. I thought it was excellent, above my exceptions for sure!

Felipe Camargo: V15 Boulderer

The evaluation was amazing! I had previously seen a ton of different people who had treated my injury. And I had gotten better, but it kept coming back. Through a series of different tests, Doctor Vagy was able to identify what was causing the injury. And now that that I know the source of it, I can better work on fixing it.

Josh Levin: 19 Time Youth National Champion

There are no other evaluations in the United States that give as full of a picture of climbing than with Dr. Vagy. You learn exactly what is needed to stay healthy in the long-term. A climber of any level can benefit from this evaluation no matter if you’re just starting out or are a seasoned pro who’s been climbing for most of their life. I highly recommend Dr. Vagy if you are seeking to boost your climbing performance beyond the traditional training realm.

Jonathan Siegrist – 5.15 Sport Climber

The evaluation was a thorough, hands on investigation into my bodies imbalances and strengths and weaknesses. It gave me answers and suggestions for moving forward as an athlete. Dr. Vagy is a knowledgeable consultant with a clearly enormous understanding of movement and the athletic body. It has really made a difference in my climbing. Dr. Vagy was hugely helpful. I attribute a lot of the knowledge he helped me out with to my success this year climbing.

Brooke Raboutou: Olympian

I learned a ton from working with Dr. Vagy. His analysis was spot on. He assessed my flexibility, strength and movement patterns, then related it to my climbing technique. Understanding my body’s imbalances was extremely helpful but learning how they specifically related to climbing was invaluable. What I learned can help me push my limits climbing without getting hurt.

Mike Anderson: Rock Prodigy Training Method

To have an in-person evaluation from Dr. Vagy was very helpful and I feel fortunate to have that opportunity. He is a climber and the expert in Physical Therapy for climbing injuries. As a result, he knows how to target detailed assessments specifically to climbing. At my age for as long as I have been climbing, I’m looking for any way to improve and Dr. Vagy was able to identify a huge potential area for me and I’m now super psyched to work on that.

Peter Croft: Climbing Legend

I just had the good fortune to visit with Dr Vagy – and I arrived with a head-full of questions. Even in the simplest of objectives it is surprisingly easy to get it wrong – learning to tie a knot, for instance. Human anatomy is head-swimmingly complex and, for the climber, the balancing act between fitness and injury can seem like a tightrope above a snapping-gator pond. Dr Vagy’s evaluation helped me understand the why’s and what-to-do’s, turning that frightening chaos into a straight forward path. While his inside-out knowledge of how our bodies allow us to do crazy stuff is mind blowing – his ability to fine tune and apply that information to the individual is where the magic happens.
Dan Mirsky: 5.14c First Ascensionist

Dr. Vagy does an excellent job of analyzing and presenting a cohesive picture how your body works and doesn’t work, your movement patterns, muscle imbalances. He helps you to achieve an understanding about the connectivity of your body so you can fix problems in, heal injuries, improve strength and flexibility all in a truly effective longterm way.

Who Can Benefit?

Anyone who has suffered from an injury, looking for physical therapy for rock climbing, or wants to prevent injury or is looking to take their climbing to the next level.

What Should I Expect During the Evaluation?

  • Interview: A complete patient interview is conducted to determine your mechanism of injury, medical history, rehabilitative needs and goals.
  • Determine the source: A thorough assessment of the mobility of your joints, the strength and flexibility of your muscles and the integrity of your neuro and vascular system is carried out. It is in this stage that the source of your problem is identified.
  • Determine the cause: The clinical information obtained during the exam is factored into components of your patient history and your specific movement patterns to determine the causative and contributing reasons for your problem.
  • Develop your plan: A treatment plan is developed incorporating your goals, the pain source and the causative and contributing factors that are leading to your problem. Doctor Vagy will sit down with you and discuss your individual goals. With your input, he will work to develop an injury prevention plan that is specifically designed to meet your needs.

What Should I Expect During Follow-up Visits?

Depending on your specific needs one or all of these treatments will be included:
  • Manual Therapy: Joint Mobilization, Soft Tissue Massage and Mobilization and Stretching
  • Therapeutic Exercise: Endurance, Strength and Power training
  • Taping and Bracing: Kinesiotape, Leukotape and Athletic Tape
  • Neuromuscular Re-education: Balance, Coordination and Dynamic training

What if I Don’t Live in the Los Angeles Area?

If you are unable to travel to Los Angeles but live in California, Utah, or Colorado and would like to consult with The Climbing Doctor, remote consultation is an option. Reach out to Jared@theclimbingdoctor.com for additional information.

What if I Don’t Live in California, Utah, or Colorado

To access a list of medical providers who treat climbers, you can visit the Rock Rehab Community page, scroll to the bottom, and click on “Click Here to See a List of All Accepted Members.” It’s important to note that Jared Vagy does not endorse or guarantee the providers on the list in terms of their clinical skill and experience. However, the list was developed as a resource to offer the climbing community a broader network of medical providers who specialize in treating climbers.

How Do I Get Started?

Doctor Vagy has an extremely high workload. It is for this reason that he accepts a limited number of private therapy clients each month. To inquire about rates and availability please contact: Jared@theclimbingdoctor.com

What Are Climbers Saying?

  • Check out reviews below from climbers who have had private therapy from The Climbing Doctor.
Wes Moore
Wes Moore
2022-11-11
Everyone can search the web for advice on injuries/strength/performance, but it will never be personalized and is likely to miss some key strategies. Dr. Vagy found issues in my training that I may have never noticed. For example, asymmetry in my hangboarding. Not only is a personalized program a huge benefit. It is very helpful to have the opportunity to ask specific questions - and he made it a point to ask if I had questions after explaining each concept.
Rustom Malhotra
Rustom Malhotra
2022-10-26
The evaluation definitely gives insight into the injury from a climbing perspective— which many practices may not be able to provide. Additionally, the detailed and precise treatment plan provided will be very helpful towards ensuring a full recovery.
Ann Sun
Ann Sun
2022-10-20
Dr. Vagy's assessment and prescribed exercises are so much more climbing specific. I have seen other PTs for my climbing related injuries, and I often find myself spending time explaining to them how climbing works. Dr. Vagy truly understands climbers. The experience is very different when you talk to someone who understands you and your sport! I also love that the prescribed exercises are very minimum, simple and target multiple things at once. I would highly recommend!
Chino Kim
Chino Kim
2022-10-19
I had high hopes and expectations going into my first appointment with Dr. Vagy and yet somehow he still managed to exceed them. He was incredibly knowledgeable, patient and down to earth. Thanks to the thorough intake form and the one-on-one time, he addressed all my questions and concerns (and then some) without ever making me feel rushed or that a question was too big or small. His office is extremely well equipped, and paired with his deep knowledge and methodical approach I left feeling confident in the condition of my injury and the tailored plan we put together for moving forward. He kept detailed notes throughout our session and emailed them to me as a PDF along with my hangboarding and climbing progression plan, which has just the right amount of structure and is simple enough for me to understand and actually stick with. I wish I had seen Dr. Vagy earlier in my climbing journey and cannot recommend him highly enough.
Brad Simanski
Brad Simanski
2022-10-19
Injuries can be super daunting when it involves climbing because of the sheer dynamic responsibility of the whole body to work as a team. When one link in that chain is weak or broken, it can seem overwhelming to figure out how to move forward. Jared is an expert detective in discovering those small to large "kinks" in the chain, and helping to create an actionable plan to get you back to your favorite activity. He inspires hope- and comes at it from real world and life experience.
Alec Luu
Alec Luu
2022-09-02
The benefit of this evaluation is that it is detailed to climbing, for, climbers use and move muscles in a unique sense. I feel extremely confident that the exercises will be beneficial in injury prevention and strengthening.
Noah Young
Noah Young
2022-08-28
I felt like all my questions were thoroughly answered at every stage of the evaluation. This is the most hopeful I've felt in months about my potential to recover from my injuries and get back to climbing. It was 100% worth the cost.
Brian Wallace
Brian Wallace
2022-08-26
The combination of clinical exam with the diagnostic ultrasound gave me 100% certainty my injury was diagnosed correctly. To me that is the most important step, I thought I had one injury and I was pretty confident I did, but the evaluation revealed it to be something that wasn't even on my radar. Without seeing Dr. Vagy, that wouldn't have been possible to diagnose. Now I can rehab it accordingly and get back to full strength soon.
Sam Fishman
Sam Fishman
2022-08-22
A consultation with Dr. Vagy will give you everything you need to recover and move on from a climbing injury. He'll diagnose the issue, explain the biomechanics so you know what's causing your pain, and provide a detailed PT program to follow for your recovery. After trying unsuccessfully to recover on my own using online resources for 2 months, I was very glad to have an expert to teach and guide me.
Pete Cimasi
Pete Cimasi
2022-08-15
Dr Vagy’s thorough approach to clinical evaluation leads to accurate diagnoses and effective treatment plans. Additionally, the advanced techniques used to evaluate injuries in his office setting highlight the current state of the science while utilizing modern technology in a refreshing and effective manner. Highly recommended